LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – Hundreds, if not thousands, of goldfish are taking over a Henderson pond. They first showed up last year. Despite most of the fish being removed last summer, the few left behind multiplied and now the massive school is bigger than ever. The Cadence HOA that oversees the pond says someone dumped the fish there despite signs asking people not to feed or dump animals. The Nevada Department of Wildlife says it’s part of a much bigger problem. Aquarium fish and other non-native species being dumped in Southern Nevada waterways has done major damage.
In the Las Vegas Wash, they’ve had some surprising finds including an alligator. Wildlife officials think it was probably someone’s pet and then was dumped when it got too big for them to take care of. While people think they may be saving a pet they no longer want by letting it loose, it could actually lead to the killing of an entire species.
“Here at the Las Vegas Wash, you really wouldn’t be surprised to find any sort of fish in the water?,” FOX5’s Kim Passoth asked Doug Nielsen with the Nevada Department of Wildlife.
“Oh, absolutely not with the proximity of this waterway to Las Vegas. I can tell you that we have removed at least one alligator that I know of from up upstream in the valley, not too many years ago that was in one of the tributaries,” Nielsen revealed.
As for the humble Pahrump poolfish, small in both physical size and population, NDOW helped saved the entire population as the spring it called home in the Pahrump Valley dried up relocating them to a lake in Spring Mountain Ranch State Park near Red Rock Canyon until they were almost wiped out again.
“Somebody along the way thought it would be a great idea to put crayfish in there and mosquito fish. In between the two of them, that population crashed from thousands down to less than a couple of 100…If we hadn’t caught what was going on, we very likely would have lost that population,” Nielsen recounted.
Crayfish from Australia also had to be removed from the Wetlands Nature Preserve in 2023 and invasive Blue Tilapia in the Muddy River near Moapa lead to NDOW to add a purple color to the water to eradicate the invaders. In recent years, NDOW has been battling to save native fishes that have been put in dangerous circumstances by dumpers of aquarium fish. Any non-native aquarium fish, amphibian or crustacean can cause problems for the ecosystem. Therefore, the release of these non-native species into state waters is illegal but NDOW says it happens all the time.
What consequences can people face for dumping unwanted pets? NDOW says it depends on the circumstances but dumping an unwanted pet into the wild like a fish is illegal just like dumping an unwanted dog.
If you see it happen, NDOW wants you to report it. Report pet ditching activity by calling Operation Game Thief at 1-800-992-3030. Learn more at: Don’t Let It Loose | Promoting responsible pet ownership
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